The present invention relates to a material transfer device and, more particular, to an air amplifying material transfer device and method.
Air amplifiers are commonly used to create a suction which is capable of lifting pelletized or small particle size material and transferring the material to another location using the amplifiers high volume air output. Air amplifier devices are effective to transfer material so long as the material freely flows to the entrance of the device. If the material is sticky or has a tendency to settle and pack tightly, the material may not move to the entrance of the air amplifier device such that stoppage of material flow to the device occurs due to starvation of material supply.
A known solution to the problem of material starvation to the air amplifier device is to vibrate the material or container thereof such as, for example, by manually shaking the container or stirring the material or by vibrating a parts delivery tube by a vibratory mechanism that uses compressed air to move a ball mass thereabout to generate vibratory motion as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,563,421.
The present invention provides in one embodiment a particulate material transfer device comprising a tubular body having a material transfer passage with an entrance to receive particulate material and an exit for discharging material and an annular chamber about the body in which a travelling member is disposed for movement about the body in a manner to impart vibrations thereto. A fluid inlet supplies pressurized air or other pressurized gaseous fluid to the chamber to cause the travelling member to move about the body to impart vibration thereto. One or more fluid discharge passages extend from the chamber to the material transfer passage to discharge pressurized air (or other gaseous fluid) toward the exit to transfer material from the entrance to the exit. The pressurized fluid used to move the travelling member thus is used also to generate suction in the tubular body to transport material through the passage thereof.
A method embodiment of the invention involves communicating an entrance of a material transfer passage of an air amplifier tubular body to a source of material to be transferred, moving a travelling member about the tubular body using a pressurized fluid in a manner that movement of the travelling member vibrates the body, and discharging the pressurized fluid into the passage in a direction toward an exit thereof to transfer the material from the entrance to the exit.
The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following drawings taken in conjunction with the following detailed description.